Shikamaru and Tayuya: Shikamaru's Failed Mission
by NostalgicFanFic
Summary: What starts off as a boring day shortly after Shikamaru's failed mission to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha quickly turns into the beginning of a relationship he will never forget.
1. Chapter 1: A Long Day

It had been a long day in Konoha.

Shikamaru had just gotten through finishing paperwork that detailed his last mission which unfortunately, had been a failure. He had been the squad leader along with comrades Naruto, Kiba, Neji, and Choji. Their mission had been to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha from the clutches of Lord Orochimaru but it had not gone as planned. Luckily everyone had gotten back safely but it would not have been so if it had not been for the 3 Sand Shinobi that had intervened. Everything had happened so fast from that point just thinking about it made Shikamaru's head hurt.

He threw down the sheets of paper he had been writing on and looked at the time.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed, "I'm gonna be late!" With that he stood up from his desk quickly and turned to look at time. "3:30?! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AT THE INTERROGATION ROOM A HALF-HOUR AGO!" and with that he took off, throwing on his Chunin Jacket and a black T-Shirt. He left his apartment in such a hurry that he forgot to shut his front door.

It had been one of the most humiliating days of Tayuya's life. What seemed to be an easy mission had turned into a nightmare. Her partners were all but alive now and she knew that if by some chance was able to return to Lord Orochimaru her fate would be sealed. She looked up into the mask of the ANBU Interrogator questioning her and gave him a grin.

"You don't get it do you?" she said darkly, "I'm not going to tell you anything so LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The ANBU Interrogator smacked her in the face. "Answer the questions" he said firmly. "What do you not understand? We'll be here until the sun sets if that's what it takes."

"SCREW YOU!" she shouted at the top of her lungs and tried to jump out of the chair she was restrained to but was quickly thrown down by guards in the room.

"It's no use" the ANBU Interrogator said to the guards. "We're through, wait for him to get here." And with that the guards and interrogator left the room. The thick door was slammed shut, locked, and then there was silence. Footsteps in the hall got quieter and everything stood still.

Smirking to herself Tayuya celebrated her small victory. She had won the first round but who was "he?" She got tense wondering if they would bring in someone even worse than the interrogator she had just gotten to leave. She had been with him for hours and there was a lot of evidence to prove it. She had scars, bruises, cuts and scratches everywhere. She couldn't necessarily blame him though. All was fair when dealing with the enemy. Either way she hated him for it and was hell bent on revenge once she got out of this place, more than anything though one person stood out in her mind.

The pineapple-haired boy.

"That fucking idiot is the reason I'm in here to begin with." Tayuya growled to herself as she stared at one of the blank cement walls enclosing her. "He's going to pay for what he did." she continued quivering with rage as she said it.

While she busied herself with thoughts of revenge and various ways she could get him back for what her had done to her she couldn't help but notice what damage had been inflicted upon herself. She was beginning to bleed from various points on her body and could slowly feel the pain start to arise and consume her as adrenaline from her system began to fade away.

"Shit, this hurts more than I thought it would." Tayuya said as time passed. The silence was getting to her.

"I'M WAITING!" she screamed hoping that someone would hear her, but her attempt was futile. Another 20 minutes passed with silence until someone finally stepped back in the room.

"YOU!" Tayuya screamed at the top of her lungs, "I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART YOU GODDAMN RAT!" she shouted pointing to Shikamaru, who had just entered the room. It was all coming back to her now. Just a day earlier she and Shikamaru had fought in the woods outside of the Leaf Village. She would have won to if it hadn't been for that Shinobi from the Sand Village that had saved his sorry ass.

On initial reaction Shikamaru jumped. He had gotten scared at how loud she had just yelled at him. "Wow she looks bad" he thought to himself, "the interrogators must have really had it with her."

"Okay calm down" he said, "Listen, don't make this a drag just tell me what I need to know and we can get this over with."

"GO FUCK YOURSELF!" she yelled at him. "YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET SHIT OUT OF ME SO YOUR JUST WASTING YOUR TIME!"

He sighed heavily. "How troublesome" he thought. "I really wonder if this is even worth my time... will I even get anything out of her?"

"Listen" he said, "I hate having to be here as much as you do so lets just make this fast and we can both get out of here OK?"

"Wow he's really lazy, how was I dumb enough to get caught by this moron?" she questioned herself. But her anger was rising. It was to a point where she could feel her blood rushing and her face was turning red. It just made her so angry that she knew she could do absolutely nothing about the current situation. She wanted to rip him to shreds and make him pay for her humiliation. She had reached a boiling point and couldn't handle it anymore. She let out a deep breath and tears slowly started to form in her eyes.

Shikamaru immediately sensed that something was wrong. He didn't know what to do but he was sure glad to see that she no longer looked as hostile as she had earlier. "Girls are so troublesome" he thought, wondering how his dad, comrades and every other male he knew could deal with girls. Immediately feeling that he had done something he shouldn't have he changed his attitude. Very softly he asked "What's wrong Tayuya?"

Tears were running down her face and her anger melted away. She now felt miserable. When she heard him say her name she was shocked. "How does he still remember it?" she thought. "Well it was just a day ago" she contemplated.

"Sc...screw you" she said between sobs. "I...I d...don't wa...want to ta...talk." she continued.

Everything seemed to be getting worse for her. Even though she wouldn't call the rest of her teammates her friends they were the only ones that had been there for her and now they were gone. Knowing too that if Orochimaru ever found out that they had failed and that she was the soul survivor of this doomed mission he would be out for blood, her blood. She desperately wondered where all of her anger went because she didn't want Shikamaru to see her like this. She felt ridiculous and weak. No one had ever seen her like this, but also, with her teammates around in the past she had no reason to feel any such way because up to this point they had never failed to complete a mission. Finally she came to a decision. With nothing to look forward to if she DIDN'T tell Shikamaru anything she decided that for her own protection it would be better to tell him what she knew, but she hated herself for it. HE had killed her teammates. HE was the reason the Uchiha had gotten away and HE was the reason that she could no longer return to Lord Orochimaru. She vowed that one way or another she would kill Shukamaru regardless of if she could go back to her home or not. This was personal. Gathering up her courage she stopped crying and gave a slight grin and without further hesitation she began to tell him what she knew.


	2. Chapter 2: A Turn Of Events

After what seemed like forever she finally stopped talking. Shikamaru had gotten bored and was quietly taking notes as she had spoken. Throughout her speaking he had asked her small questions and and occasionally she would turn the question back on himself. He would answer the best he could and nodded or shrugged at times.

"He's not like the others" Tayuya thought, "He's more gentle, and doesn't seem to give a shit about...anything."

As the interrogation had come to a close Tayuya had prompted him with one final question.

"Well what are you going to do with me now that I've answered all your damn questions?"

"I don't know he said." He was tired of listening now and wanted more than anything to get home so he could file what he had received from her but he kind if wanted to stay here as well.

Shikamaru had looked at Tayuya more and more as the interrogation had gone on and by the end of it had decided that she was a pretty girl... a VERY pretty girl. He wished that they had met under a different scenario. One that didn't involve her trying to kill him in the woods that surrounded The Leaf Village.

"So what am I going to do here just wait some more?!" she yelled.

"Look" he said, "I've had a long day and I don't really feel like having to argue, especially with a girl... are you even listening?" He looked at her and noticed that the color seemed to be draining out of her face. She didn't respond. Shikamaru became tense.

"I knew it, her wounds must have caught up to her" he thought.

As he stood up to see if she was OK she suddenly fell over onto the table in the interrogation room.

"TAYUYA!" He shouted and ran over to her immediately.

She had been bleeding quite badly but only now did he see the full extent of it.

"Wow and with all the talking she did that must have been enough to finish her off" he thought.

Without further hesitation he picked her unconscious body up and carried her out of the room, now anxious to get her out of the prison and to the hospital in downtown Kanoha.

He ran out of the prison doors leaving various guards look puzzled as he carried the unconscious girl down the street. Without having much time to think he finally made it to the hospital and barged through the front doors.

"THIS GIRL NEEDS HELP RIGHT AWAY!" he shouted in the lobby as two emergency responders came running through the entrance of the main facility, wheeling behind them a hospital bed.

"Wow look at her" said the first responder as he laid her on the bed, she must have gotten hurt really bad.

"So she was pretending to be OK when I initially started talking to her." Shikamaru thought, "she must have been in so much pain but didn't want to look weak" he continued in his mind.

"It looks like she is suffering from lots of wounds not to mention blood loss and heavy fatigue." The second responder said while checking her vital signs.

"Do we want to know how this happened to her?" questioned the first responder looking sharply at Shikamaru.

"Well she's a prisoner that I captured the other day...she tried to kill me as a matter of fact. But I brought her back and she's been under long questioning by The ANBU Black Ops from then to about an hour ago." said Shikmaru, starting to feel lightheaded himself.

"So should she be here?" The second responder asked, sounding concerned, "Do The ANBU know she's here? Wouldn't they want to treat her themselves?"

"JUST HELP HER!" Shikamaru yelled, starting to get angry, and lowering his tone he continued "I have to go with you guys to see if she'll be OK!"

"Sorry." The first responder said. "She's in much too bad shape to be seen right now, she needs to be attended to right away."

Shikamaru was fully aware of his actions only now... after the fact. As he calculated all he had just done he realized it was more serious than he initially thought. But now he was sure he had done the right thing and he was ready to defend his actions if it came to it. He was scared how The ANBU would have "helped" her had she passed out under their watch.

He stopped thinking to see the emergency responders wheeling her away into the deep catacombs of the hospital and sighed deeply.

"She's going to be OK now, but what a troublesome mess this has all become. All I wanted to do was bullshit this report, interrogate the girl and get back so I could go to sleep."

There was only one thing Shikamaru liked more than food and sky-watching and that was sleeping. He was free to do whatever he wanted in his own dreamland. No worries, no hassles, no trouble. The real world was just such a drag compared to what he faced when he was dreaming...

Deciding to sit down for a bit Shikamaru took a seat in the main lobby of the hospital. He was looking down at the ground deep in thought when a shadow appeared at his feet and someone plopped down beside him.

"Hiya Shikamaru! How's it going?!"

It was Ino Yamanaka, one of his two teammates in the three-man cell he normally carried out his missions with.

"Oh hi Ino" he said lazily, "what are you doing here?"

"Funny I was about to ask you the same thing" she giggled, "I was just visiting Choji in the hospital.

Shikamaru had forgotten all about his best friend and that he was in the hospital ever since they had returned to the leaf village. Ever since he had gotten back he had been swamped in paperwork and shortly after fallen asleep.

"Oh shit I'll have to check on him" Shikamaru thought.

"So Shikamaru-kun what ARE you doing here?" Ino said looking at him with her bright eyes. She wasted no time wrapping her arms around him and holding him close.

"What a drag." he thought.

"I just dropped someone off." He replied calmly, "no big deal."

"Who?" said Ino looking puzzled.

"Just this girl."

"What girl?" said Ino looking troubled, "do I know her?"

"No she's just someone I was interrogating it's nothing, really."

"Well you must care about her, you don't sound like it's nothing. Ooooh you like her don't you?"

Shikamaru was irritated. This was the reason he found girls so troublesome. As much as he liked and respected Ino he didn't like how gossipy and weird she got around boys. He knew that she and another one of his friends, Sakura Haruno, were in a deep competition to win Sasuke Uchiha, the boy he had failed to rescue the day previous, however, Shikamaru was not dumb.

He liked to act lazy and careless but it was just to keep peoples guards low. He was always analyzing and thinking and it was easier to keep people away than at bay. He knew that Ino just pretended to like Sakura because of a rivalry that they had had going on since childhood. He also knew that Ino REALLY liked him, although he pretended not to get her obvious signs of affection for him. But lastly he knew that she was not the one for him. He thought she was pretty and had good intentions but they just weren't meant to be. However, Tayuya was different. She seemed to be very intelligent and cunning... her looks were just a bonus.

With his mind set heavy on the days events Shikamaru decided to head on home. The sun was setting now and he knew it would be dark within the hour. Suddenly standing up Shikamaru spoke:

"Uh sorry Ino I have to go, I still have a ton of work to get back to at my place, I'll see ya around."

He then gave her a hug and left the hospital rather fast, not even giving her a chance to reply. Not that it mattered though she had been beaming at him with admiration the entire time.

Out on the streets of Kanoha, Shikamaru made his way back home but only one thing was on his mind: Tayuya.

"Man she was pretty." he kept thinking to himself. She had perfect features in his opinion. He was getting carried away and had to stop thinking about her.

He quickened his pace and continued on not even noticing various friends around the village that called his name saying "Hi" or wanting to chat. He left them a behind and in a daze wondering what he was so focused on.

He finally made it home and realized that he had left his door open in his haste to leave hours earlier.

"Thank goodness there's not a lot of crime here that would have been a drag if someone broke in." He thought to himself as he walked in and inspected the place, and confirmed his thought.

His apartment was brand new as he had just got it for turning eighteen. It was small but all he needed. One bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room and a walk-out terrace in the back that provided him with a great view of Kanoha. It was especially pretty during sunrises and sunsets. His apartment was very clean and out of habit Shikamaru went into his bedroom and plopped on his bed. The only thing Shikamaru liked more than food and cloud-watching was sleep.

"Wow it's been a long, troublesome day." he said and with visions of Tayuya in his head he fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3: Visiting Day

Shikamaru woke early the next morning and the alarm clock that was next to his bed read 7:00.

"Wow I don't think I've ever been awake that early in my life" he remarked, chuckling as he got ready to visit Tayuya at the hospital.

He got out of the clothes he had slept in and took a quick shower, making sure to spray cologne on himself as he dried off. Today he wanted to look nice and appear presentable... and by his standards even a little bit of effort would be enough to throw everyone off.

He headed to his closet and looked through what he had. Mostly just plain T-Shirts, a couple floral print button downs, and a suit.

"Whoa, too classy" he thought.

He decided on a nice grey plaid button down he had. I fit him well, emphasizing his arms and chest. He then threw on some khaki's and put on a pair of tennis shoes. He looked into the mirror and even he was shocked by how different he looked. Even though some kids dressed like this normally, for him this was huge. He quickly regretted dressing up at all though, thinking she would notice that something was up. He hadn't even thought about what SHE would say to him. Did she even want to see him? These feelings seemed to be one-sided. Last time they'd been together she had been yelling and swearing at him, add to the fact that she probably just lied about everything she had told him just to get him to leave. He looked at the time again: 8:15. He had taken longer than he thought. Forgetting what she would think he quickly tied his hair in his usual style and ran out of the door hoping to get the the hospital as quick as possible again forgetting to shut the door.

The hospital was busy but only with personal. It was also a Saturday Morning so people would probably sleeping in amid other various weekend activities. He had wanted to avoid a busy lobby and long visiting lines so he was glad that he had came this early.

After finding out her room number he decided to get her something to eat. He stopped by the hospital cafeteria and got her an omelette, along with toast, and fruit to help her regain her strength. At long last he made his way through the narrow hallways until he finally got to her room. He opened the door quietly and made his way inside.

The only noise emanating from the room was the beep of the heart monitor and her soft gentle breathing... she was fast asleep. Shikamaru set down the food down and stood over her looking at her and admiring her now cleaned up face. She looked way nicer than the days previous and he was further taken back by her natural beauty. He couldn't help but stare...unfortunately it didn't last for too long.

Her eyes suddenly opened and she shrieked.

"OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL!" She shouted.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE WERE YOU WATCHING ME SLEEP?!"

"No not at all!" Shikamaru said jumping at the loudness of her voice. But he didn't get to continue.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU YOU PIECE OF SHIT, YOU CREEP!"

"Calm down calm down! I just brought you some..."

"YOU GODDAMN IDIOT! YOU...YOU..."

She was going into hysterics. Shikamaru knew she must have been enraged but he just couldn't pull himself to leave. He had came all this way and gotten dressed up!

"Dammit I knew this was a bad idea" he thought, "look what this woman has done to me, and she doesn't even like me I chose to do this!" Amongst all her yelling he shouted back:

"I BROUGHT YOU SOME FOOD CHILL OUT!"

"YOU FUCKING STUPID ASS LITTLE... WHAT?!" She yelled.

"FOOD... TO EAT!" He replied.

Tayuya froze. No one had ever done that for her. Even when she was well no one had ever given her something to eat. It was a little act of kindness but I meant a lot to her. She calmed down but still was angry that he had the nerve to visit her, after all, she thought, he was the reason she was here in the first place.

"What is it then dumbass?" She asked him.

"Here." He handed her a plate with all the food on it. She looked up at him clearly questioning the legitimacy of his gesture. He nodded firmly and without another glance she started wolfing it down.

"Wow she loves to eat" Shikamaru thought smirking, "I like a girl who likes food" he continued in his mind while still watching her.

"Thanks pineapple-head" she said through mouthfuls of food.

"What did you call me?" Shikamaru asked, confused wondering what she meant.

"It's your goofy ass haircut" she responded without even looking up. "I've never seen a person with a style like that."

She finally stopped eating when all the food was gone and turned around to look at him hoping to appear angry when she gazed at him. It was then that she noticed how he was dressed and she was taken back.

"Did he dress up on purpose like this?" She wondered and she had to ask.

"Hey bitch, why are you all dressed up like this?" Even she had seen enough of him to know this wasn't his usual style.

"Oh man what a drag, she knows. What should I do? Quick make something up fast." He thought.

"Uhh... I'm going to a friends house after this" he stuttered.

"It's only a plaid shirt but c'mon you don't normally dress like this do you?"

"I told you, I'm going to a friends house."

"Really you have friends?"

"Ha ha. Yeah lots of em."

"So who is it then?"

"Uhh Naruto Uzumaki you don't know him."

"That blonde little shit that didn't know when to stop talking back in the woods?"

"H..h...how do you know his name?"

"Please that little brat wouldn't stop shouting it at everyone. I know your lying. You told me you had an IQ of around 200 so how could you be so stupid?"

Shikamaru was beat. He had let his guard down and for the first time in a while and he realized he had been so obviously dumb, but he couldn't help it. She just made him feel different. He took a deep breath and braced himself.

"Okay you got me."

"What does that mean?"

He paused. This would be the hardest part.

"I. I dressed up like this for. For you."

He was burning red and she could tell he was extremely embarrassed. But she was also turning red.

"He dressed up for me? why? I tried to kill him and all I've done is yell at him."

Shikamaru noticed that she was blushing as well and he was confused.

"Does she know, does she like it?" His thoughts were getting the best of him.

Tayuya was lost for words. Shikamaru, barely more than a stranger had tolerated her for days now, had ran her over the the hospital when he feared that she was in danger and had visited her in the hospital bringing her food and dressed up for her. And what's worse... she felt that she liked it.

The more she thought about it it seemed to come easier. Even from their first encounter Tayuya had admired how smart he had been in combat but now with all of this? Her inner self, her lonely, longing and innocent self was starting to reveal. She couldn't let it... she still wanted her revenge. But for the time being maybe, just maybe she'd let him win this time.

"Thanks for the food pineapple-head" she smirked, looking at him, "And...you look nice."

Shikamaru's heart was racing, was this her way of saying his effort had paid off? Suddenly the room door opened a second time and Shikamaru and Tayuya both turned around anxious to see who it was.


	4. Chapter 4: A Change Of Ways

-Hi before you go any further I would just like to thank you for taking the time to read my story, it means a ton! I would just like to say that I'm not good at writing by any means so sorry for misspellings, punctuation errors or any other discrepancies you may come across... just leave a comment and I will do my best to fix the problem. This is my first FanFiction so I'm excited to see what the future holds! Also I know I have uploaded the first four chapters rather fast but that may begin to slow down because school for me starts TOMORROW and to this point I had already had three of the four chapters typed out... all I had to do was upload them. However, I will try my best to have new chapters out every couple of days, maybe a little longer but please bear with me :) Again thank you for everything and enjoy the story! -Np7

"Lady Tsunade... I mean Hokage?" Shikamaru asked, puzzled as to why SHE would be here?

"So this is the Hokage?" Tayuya thought from her hospital bed. Tayuya had heard a fair amount about this woman from Lord Orochimaru back at their base in The Village of The Sound. From what knowledge she had collected from Orochimaru she knew that this Tsunade woman was extremely powerful and was not one to mess around with. Even Lord Orochimaru had expressed his fears about her. She knew that Tsunade was a force to be reckoned with especially because she was one of the three legendary Sannin. An equal to Lord Orochimaru as he was one too. The Hokage's voice brought her back to reality.

"Yes Shikamaru Nara I have come here to see the girl you have come with." Tsunade said firmly. Then she turned to Tayuya.

"Your name is Tayuya I've heard...this is correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Tayuya said. She was slightly scared of Tsunade now remembering stories of her temper from Lord Orochimaru. Tsunade continued.

"You must know by now that in Lord Orochimaru's eyes you have failed a mission and that from this point on you are an enemy to him. You realize that you won't be able to return to The Sound Village right?" Tsunade said with a matter-of-factly sort of tone.

The impact of those words shook Tayuya. Although she had thought of this new revelation she had only given it quick thoughts, never having enough time to answer it. Until now.

"I am aware." Tayuya said sounding more confident than she felt, "Would you be willing to let me stay here, Lady Hokage?"

Shikamaru intervened.

"She has already given me a full confession with valuable secrets about Lord Orochimaru's plans and experiments." he said quickly. "I'll be including them in my report."

"Shut up Shikamaru!" Tsunade yelled. She didn't like being put on the spot like this.

"Hmmmm..." now she had to think. Was this girl a danger to The Leaf Village? Frankly Tsunade didn't think so. In fact it seemed Tayuya's attitude had been changing from the moment Tsunade has walked in the room. The Hokage could tell by the way Tayuya had been shooting looks at Shikamaru and had beamed at him when he tried to defend her, that she had some feelings about him. With her mind made Tsunade spoke again, but with power in her voice.

"Tayuya, you promise that from this point on you will not return to Lord Orochimaru AND that you will not attempt to double-cross us?"

"No ma'am." Tayuya said quietly.

"Do you promise from this point on you will change your ways and pay for the crimes you have committed?"

"Yes"

"If you want to prove yourself would you consider becoming a Leaf Village Shinobi?" Tsunade asked, knowing the answer to this question would tell a lot.

So much was running through Tayuya's mind. She had gone from a wanted criminal to a possible fighter for a land she had once considered an enemy. She couldn't understand why everyone here had been so nice and forgiving to her? Where she was from people were under oppression and crime was on everyones mind's so, naturally, kindness and forgiveness were not part of the equation.

Thinking about all of this made Tayuya remember her past. It had been a dark and cold one. Her parents had died when she was still very young and from then on a darkness had consumed her. She was forced to turn to violence and crime to get what she wanted... who would take a little girl seriously? And as time passed she became feared and her powers grew. By the time she in her lower teens she was recruited by Lord Orochimaru and at the time he didn't seem bad at all. She was further trained until she became a master at performing certain types of justu and using chakra control. Her powers surpassed all those of her peers... until she had met Shikamaru and for that she envied him. He had been able to hold her off without having to try apparently. Although now she was starting to change her opinions about him.

He had said he dressed up... for her. Did this mean he liked her? She almost felt the same way about him, with everything he had done for her and all. Her mind was traveling fast, she quickly looked back at Tsunade realizing that her mouth was moving but she could here nothing.

"I'm sorry could you say that again?" Tayuya asked.

"If you want to prove yourself would you consider becoming a Leaf Village Shinobi?" Tsunade asked again.

With only Shikamaru in her mid she made her decision.

"I will." She said with a slight grin on her face looking at Shikamaru.

Tsunade was impressed.

"OK" she said, "Then I will grant you permission to stay in The Hidden Leaf Village. Also you will need a love to stay."

She turned to Shikamaru.

"This is where you come in." In she said and gave him a small smile.

"Shikamaru Nara I have a new mission for you. You are to train Tayuya to become a full-fledged Leaf Shinobi and in the meantime she will be staying with you and under your care, understood?"

Shikamaru looked over at Tayuya and for the first time she smiled at him.

"I understand Lady Hokage." Shikamaru said. "Thank you."

And with that Lady Tsunade turned on her heel and left the hospital room.

With all that had happened Tayuya still felt a bit of anger towards Shikamaru. He still was the reason all of this change was necessary in the first place.

Looking at the doctors notes in the room Shikmaru saw that she would be able to leave today although she would need help being carried as her legs were in bad shape. She was placed into a wheelchair and moved outside of the hospital where she was glad to see the outside again.

"So dumbass, where do you live?" Tayuya said wanting to maintain some anger.

"Not too far from here." He said, sighing. "And here I thought she appreciated what I did, NOPE! Girls. How troublesome can they get?" He thought.

"Ok I'll carry you back to my place, it's apparent that you won't be able to get far with your legs in the condition they're in."

"Oh come on dipshit they're not that bad off" Tayuya scowled, shaking her legs slightly but then wincing in pain.

"Hehe yeah OK." Shikamaru laughed but quickly turned in into a cough when he say Tayuya giving him a deathly stare.

Trying not to make the situation awkward Shikamaru tried his best to lift Tayuya out of the chair, much to her displeasure. Unfortunately he grabbed her wrong, unsure of what to do, and on accident ended up grabbing her breast.

It happened fast.

Tayuya punched him in the nose with all her might and immediately sent Shikamaru flying into a wall across the street. Bystanders everywhere stopped what they were doing and looked at the two of them, wondering what had just happened.

"YOU PERVERT!" she screamed, "YOU MEANT TO DO THAT THE WHOLE TIME DIDN'T YOU?!"

Shikamaru, across the street, was half conscious. He stumbled out of the large imprint he had made in the wall and tried making his way back to Tayuya, his anger intensifying. He was seeing doubles of everything and some things were shifting in and out of focus. He noticed blood running down his nose and felt sick to his stomach. He had taken hard hits from enemies on past missions but this one took the cake. He quickly cleaned himself up and turned towards Tayuya.

"OK" he growled, "you are coming with me to my damn apartment and you won't say one fucking word. I don't care what you think about anything, say nothing. I've had it with you."

Immediately Tayuya felt bad. All he had done was try to help her. She even knew that he had probably touched her like that on accident... that it was just her on going anger with him that made he believe it had been done on purpose.

"I'm...I'm sorry." She whispered. It had came to her that as of now he was the only acquaintance, the only FRIEND she had for miles.

"Yeah whatever" Shikamaru growled as he picked her up and started carrying her.

"Let's go home."


	5. Chapter 5: The First Night

*Hi guys, sorry this is coming up so late, I've actually had this chapter done for over a week now but I've been so busy with school starting and all. I have Chapter 6 still being made (hopefully it will be up sooner than later!) Thanks for the continued support/reviews/reading! Hope you enjoy the chapter! -Np7

The walk back towards Shikamaru's apartment was relaxing for Shikamaru as it gave him time to settle down from the punch that fazed him and gave him time to think. He hadn't really meant what he had said to Tayuya earlier. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stay mad at her. She had fallen asleep in his arms shortly after she had apologized to him and Shikamaru took this time to look down at her as the sun began to set in Kanoha.

"She's really pretty" Shikamaru thought for the millionth time, "I've never seen a girl as perfect as her.

He stopped to recall what he had just thought. He had called her perfect? Shikamaru knew that she had been giving him the hardest time she could ever since she had met him but for some reason he couldn't understand he didn't blame her for any of it. Empathy was the emotion that came to him next. He could never understand what she must have been going through.

"She has been under oppression from Lord Orochimaru... probably for most of her life" he thought. He then began thinking and psychoanalyzing her based on what he knew.

Her anger towards him most likely meant she was still mad about their battle. The fear of the situation overall must mean she knows she would be heavily punished, even killed if she ever returned to Lord Orochimaru and her paranoia most likely meant that this thought had been taking up a lot of time on her mind. He probably had already sent out Shinobi to assassinate her so she couldn't reveal any information that was confidential. He wondered if she had any family or someone close to her that she could vent to had she never been put in this predicament.

All this thinking made the walk home seem like a blur as the route to his home was so natural he could walk there with his eyes closed.

He finally made it back to the apartment and again saw that he had left the door open in his hurry and excitement to see Tayuya at the hospital earlier today. He stopped to admire her again and felt her gentle, warm breathing against his neck.

"She looks so calm" he thought and she did. She had a small smile on her sleeping face and that made Shikamaru grin. "I wish she was like that all the time" he thought and let out a big sigh, "You are so troublesome Tayuya do you know that?" he said out loud.

He walked into the apartment glad to see that again no one had broke in because the door was unlocked. He had decided earlier that she could sleep in his bedroom and that he would sleep on the couch in the small living room of his apartment.

He carried her curled up body into his bedroom and placed her on his bed. It was one of his favorite possessions. His bed had been unmade as he had little time to worry about it that morning. He prodded her up against the fluffy pillows and pulled a blanket up her, tucking her in. He looked at her one more time and grinned.

"You're troublesome, but you're worth it." He said and closed the bedroom door behind him.

He walked into his living room and from there into his kitchen.

Today's activities had made him especially hungry and so he opened up his refrigerator and pulled out some leftovers from a local barbecue restaurant that he had team meeting at with Asuma Sensei, Ino and Choji. He microwaved the food and wolfed it down, still extremely hungry. So he proceeded over to his pantry and pulled out multiple packs of instant ramen and threw them in a pot which he cooked on his stove.

After he ate the ramen he felt very full and once he had finished eating he washed his dishes and threw out his trash. He quickly took a shower and brushed his teeth before he finally settled down for the night on the couch in his living room. It was too small for him and slightly uncomfortable to lie on but he decided the sacrifice was worth it. Reminiscing on the days events he decided that overall it had been a good day.

"Tayuya you troublesome, pretty girl" he laughed and before long he was sound asleep on the couch.

Tayuya had awoken shortly after Shikamaru had left her in his bedroom. She listened quietly as he had made his food, eaten it, taken a shower and brushed his teeth.

She looked around the dark room and saw the many things he had inside. Various posters of models, books, multiple boxes of board games, a small TV, and a desk that was scattered with papers and pencils. A closet door was also visible in a dark corner. She was surprised at how clean the room was considering how lazy and carefree Shikamaru seemed.

"There's more to him than meets the eye" Tayuya mused, smirking to herself, "he really is a good guy though." She immediately recalled the incident from earlier and felt horribly guilty once more. Deciding to move on she laid back in the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

She wondered more and more about Shikamaru but she couldn't let her inner feelings get the best of her. She wanted revenge still but that drive seemed to be fading fast.

"He must care about me, he could have easily refused to house me, but he did it without hesitation... then I had to go and punch him and get him mad at me. Good job Tayuya." She said to herself, "no wonder you've never had a boyfriend." Not that it had mattered before.

She had never been particularly close to guys, finding many that she knew from the Sound Village were low lifes and criminals... not that she had been any different when she had served under Lord Orochimaru. Just thinking of him now made her sweat. Going back to Shikamaru she had made up her mind. She would apologize to him and show him as much care as he showed her.

Her mind burned with new emotion as she realized that she liked him. He was so different from any guy... anybody, she had ever met. She realized then that she was smiling. The first real smile she had had in years.

The house was now dead quiet as silence filled the air, the only noise she could hear was gentle snoring resonating from the other room.

Deciding now what she wanted she stood up and quietly made her way to the bedroom door, opening it and making her way to the living room where Shikamaru slept. The lights were out and she saw a dark figure lying on the couch. Immediately recognizing Shikamaru's profile she walked towards him and when she finally made it to him she lowered herself to his sleeping figure.

"Thank you Shikamaru... for everything. You are so different from anyone I have ever known, and I am sorry." She said quietly, but with determination and with that she leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek.

She stood back up and slowly retreated back to the bedroom where she shut the door again and laid back down on the bed. Within minutes she had fallen asleep but with a beautiful smile on her face, a true one.


	6. Chapter 6: The Morning

Chapter 6

They both slept well that night. The house was quiet with the gentle snores of Shikamaru resonating here and there.

The next day Shikamaru woke up at 6:30.

"Another early morning." He thought lazily as he rose from the couch, "why am I doing this?"

He took a long shower this morning thinking of everything that had happened the last few days. He had gone from a failed mission to housing an enemy that he now cared about in no time at all. He got out of the shower and dried himself off and looked in the mirror, liking what he saw.

He was a muscular but slender guy for 18. His longer than average hair was put up in his usual ponytail and he had a nice tan from all his time outside. Leaving the bathroom he walked out into the terrace behind his apartment and looked out over Kanoha. He had a breathtaking view of the sun rising and was captivated by it's beauty for several minutes. It was the second most beautiful thing he had seen recently.

Ever since he had brought Tayuya home he couldn't get her out of his mind. The thoughts of her in his head before he had drifted off to sleep last night... what did they mean?

His mind slowly drifting back to reality he stepped back into the apartment, closing the terrace sliding-glass doors behind him.

Tayuya had woken quietly in the early hours of the morning as well. She listened to her surrounding as the time passed. It had been a long time since everything had been this peaceful around her. She was used to constant chaos and fear, now everything seemed quite the opposite. She could hear birds chirping and the gentle rustle of the wind as it blew a refreshing breeze through the open windows of the apartment.

"Hmmm, I could get used to this." Tayuya thought, suddenly hating herself for being to attracted to such weak things, but the thoughts continued and she became happy again. She felt like a little girl and smiled while stretching her limbs under the blankets sprawled across the bed. She yawned and thought "This is the best night I've had in a while."

She slowly got out of Shikamaru's bed and quietly left the bedroom and into the living room to see how Shikamaru was doing.

Shikamaru hesitated as he locked the sliding-glass doors. Someone was behind him, he knew it. Turning around quickly he jumped when he saw who it was.

"Damn she scared me." He thought looking at a just as scared Tayuya, "Idiot" he continued, "Who else could it have been?"

Tayuya had also jumped when she saw Shikamaru standing there looking at her. She had not expected him to be standing right in front of her.

"How'd you sleep?" Shikamaru asked with moderate concern. "Are you feeling better?"

"Lots, thanks." She said smiling. Her attitude had changed towards him completely. The last couple of days had been some of the strangest she'd ever had, yet they were comforting as well.

"Oh you're not going to swear at me?" Shikamaru grinned, "Feeling that good huh?"

She blushed immensely.

"Oh... um... yeah haha." She laughed nervously. "It was a really good night."

They continued to look at each other awkwardly but Shikamaru broke the silence after a few moments.

"Want some breakfast? I can make you something if you want." He said, now looking as red as she was.

"It's fine I can find something myself." She said, admiring him for his kindness.

"It's no trouble really." He insisted, "And besides, you're still recovering."

She was taken back by his kindness (not for the first time now) but she was determined to not appear needy, even though she still had some lasting aches and pains from her recent time in the hospital.

"Honestly, I'm OK." She said. But he had already made up his mind.

"No go back to bed, I'll make you something and bring it in for you." He said with a firmness in his voice.

Knowing there was no way he was going to back down she blushed an ever darker shade of red and nodded.

"Thanks." was all she muttered before slowly retreating back to Shikamaru's room and closed the door silently.

"Hmmm girls... such a drag." Shikamaru thought as he smirked heading into the kitchen.

He made his way in slowly but a new challenge had now come to mind.

He was probably the worst cook in all of Kanoha.

"Oh no, how am I gonna offer to make her food when I can't even prepare cold cereal?" He panicked. "Aw man, what have I gotten myself into?"

He couldn't back out now, not after all his insisting.

He gathered up his courage and continued into the kitchen deciding what to make for her. He decided on eggs, toast, and bacon. Something simple yet affective.

The process took 30 minutes. After repeatedly messing up, starting over, and swearing he had finally made what he thought was a semi-decent meal. He arranged it the best he could on a plate and finally brought it into Tayuya's room.

She had heard pots and pans dropping and loud swearing emanating from the kitchen and it caused her to laugh.

"What a fool." She thought. "A cute fool." There was no doubt in her mind he was an attractive guy. Even when she had been resilient to him days earlier she had found him to be what she liked in a guy. Carefree, nonchalant and good-looking. Now though, as feelings had changed she was feeling more attracted to him.

Her thoughts were interrupted as he walked in holding a tray and looking slightly worn out.

"Here you go." He said wearily, "and you'd better enjoy it. I worked my ass off to make that."

She looked up at him and he gazed down on her looking worn out. They both smiled and started laughing.

"Thanks." she replied.

He handed her the tray and utensils and she began to wolf down the food. It was actually quite good.

"Man she loves her food." Shikamaru mused, feeling closer to her as they both shared that in common.

She noticed him watching her and she quickly stopped what she was doing.

"Do you have to watch me?" She said, her mouth full of toast. This caused Shikamaru to burst into laughter.

"What? I like food." she said defiantly. "Don't judge me."

He gave her a sincere grin indicating that he understood and was just joking around and that comforted her. She was glad that's after all this time in her hard life she had made a friend that in such a short amount of time seemed to understand her.

After she was done (which didn't take her very long) she set everything down beside her and looked up at Shikamaru, who was now pacing around the room pretending to look busy and occasionally looking out of a window.

"It was really good, thanks." she said.

He immediately stopped.

"You think so?" he questioned.

"Yeah, actually." she said. "and I'll do the dishes, it's the least I can do."

"No no don't worry. Leave them to me." He said.

"Why so chivalrous?" she asked, grinning. "You're a real ladies man aren't you."

"Actually no girls have never really been an interest of mine." he said. This has been true, up until very recently. This was not to say that he had not had his share of girls and "girl-troubles."

Behind Sasuke Uchiha most of the girls in Kanoha had at one point or another showed an interest in Shikamaru. Even now he had heard rumors of girls that apparently had feelings for him, but he never let those get to his head. Mostly because they just seemed too damn troublesome.

"Sureeeeee whatever you say." Tayuya said, winking at him.

"Chill" Shikamaru said starting to get nervous. He knew she knew she was probably touching a nerve. "Besides, we have other things to do today. Lady Tsunade expects me to train you as a Leaf Shinobi as a way for you to prove your changed ways and remain here... you still want that right?"

Tayuya reflected on this questions and wanted it more than anything now. Not only did things seem to be looking up for her now, she also had someone she wanted to make proud. She wanted him to know he had made the right choice protecting and caring for her. She wanted to stay here for many reasons but above all Shikamaru.

"Yes." she responded with a convincing weight to her voice.

"OK then." Shikamaru said, smiling. "Then let's get started. Take a shower and I'll get you some clothes, it's going to be a long day."


	7. Chapter 7: A Slight Hold Up

Hi again! Just wanted to let you know that I have already begun Chapter 8 so it should be out in a timely manner. For some reason I thought this chapter was the longest but it's actually the shortest by like 300 words, wow. Thanks again for all the reviews/views, etc. and enjoy the chapter! (I promise the next one will be longer to make up for this ones length.)

Tayuya hadn't been clean for days now so she was anxious to take a nice, hot, bath. She hung a right outside of Shikamaru's bedroom door and made her way to the small bathroom at the end of the hall.

She stepped inside and took a look around. The room was small, but it served it's purpose. It had a toilet in a far corner, two marble sinks and a clean looking bathtub. She made her way to the tub and quickly undressed. The floor was cold against her bare feet and the air around her was now making her colder now that she had nothing on. She looked at herself in the mirror and liked her appearance.

Her injuries were in the process of healing well, although there were still some visible marks. The last garment she took off was the cap she always wore. She hardly ever took it off. She felt it concealed her, not a lot, but enough so that she felt comfortable.

Tayuya turned around and turned the shower on. She held her hand under the gentle stream of water now flowing from the shower head. When it got hot enough she stepped in and closed the curtain behind her.

The steaming water felt so good as it ran down her body and crevices, engulfing her. She felt more relaxed than she had for weeks, ever since her mission began.

As she washed herself under the water she remembered that Shikamaru had brought up the part of the agreement that had been the reason she was allowed to stay in The Hidden Leaf Village and by extension, Shikamaru. Training to become a Leaf Shinobi.

"What a pain." She thought now feeling lazy towards having to do work. She had been living what to her was a life of luxury the past few days and did not want to give it up. But she would do it for Shikamaru, she didn't want his reputation to be stained by her laziness.

Tayuya had been enjoying the shower so much she hardly realized she had been standing under hot water for a good half-hour.

The bathroom door opened and Shikamaru was immediately thrown back by the amount of steam that was now misting out of the bathroom.

"Tayuya, c'mon get out we have to start moving!" He said, sounding lazy and annoyed.

Ooooh sorry!" She said, coming back to reality and blushing rather hard from behind the shower curtain.

"Don't apologize just get out. I put your clothes next to the sinks." He said and walked out shutting the door behind him.

"Girls" he thought, "What a drag."

Tayuya quickly shut off the water as he left the room and grabbed a towel, drying herself off. The pulled open the shower curtain and could hardly see because of all the steam that was now blurring the bathroom.

"He wasn't kidding" she thought to herself barely able to see around the room. "How long was I in there?"

Right as she was about to change into the set of clothes Shikamaru had set on the sink counter for her the door opened again and Shikamaru was in the doorway, frozen in awe staring at her.

Shikamaru had never been so captivated by anyone's physical appearance in his entire life. Time stood still as he gazed at her naked body. She was well developed and he could see she was a beautifully developed young woman.

"Uhhhhh...uhhhhh...forgot...to...bri...bring...a...pair...of...pants." He stammered and looking at the reaction on Tayuya's face knew he was screwed.

Tayuya hadn't been this mad since the interrogation room days earlier, but now it seemed she was seething with anger and after a minute of awkward silence she let it all out.

"YOU PERVERT!" she screamed, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

This wasn't the first time he had accidentally been inappropriate around her. Shikamaru suddenly recalled the incident outside of the hospital when he had carried her home.

Tayuya, now with a towel wrapped around her body, punched Shikamaru harder than she had ever hit anyone before. Shikamaru was sent flying down the hall and into the living room. Had she hit him any harder he would have been sent straight through the apartment wall.

The pair of pants he had brought was now laying on the ground in front of her. With a smug smile on her face she put the clothes on and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Boys clothes, oh great." she thought.

She was wearing a faded T-Shirt that had The Leaf Village Logo imprinted on it, a pair of khaki shorts and ankle-high socks. Her bra and underwear she slipped back on underneath and left her laundry darted on the bathroom floor.

She walked into the living room and gazed down upon Shikamaru's unconscious body.

"Serves him right." she thought grinning. She actually wasn't very mad that he had seen her naked. Although she had been caught off guard she was pleased with her appearance and had actually been hoping to catch Shikamaru shirtless sometime.

She bent over and picked him up.

"You're heavy for a guy that looks so skinny." she said out loud and began to move towards Shikamaru's bedroom.

When she got inside she heaved his body onto the big bed. He groaned and slumped over. She sat on the bedside for 15 minutes before he regained consciousness. When he finally did he looked up but didn't speak.

Things we appearing in a blur for Shikamaru, he was only half there. He had never been smacked so hard in his life but he knew that from her perspective he deserved. He finally said "I was just trying to help, it was an accident. Besides I didn't even see anything."

"Yeah right, pervert." Tayuya scowled at him. But, again, she wasn't as mad as she appeared.

After a couple more minutes laying on his bed, Shikamaru stood up and putting everything behind him spoke.

"Okay, let's just put this all behind us and get outside and start training."

"Fine." Tayuya said.

So the two got up and left the bedroom, they made their way to the door and when they both had their shoes on Shikamaru held the door open for Tayuya and closed it behind himself, locking it this time.


	8. Chapter 8: New Beginning

The walk to a nearby training field was quick, it was only minutes from Shikamaru's apartment and made for an easy morning destination to work on new techniques and jutsu.

When they arrived Shikamaru turned around to instruct Tayuya.

"Okay" he said, "Today we'll just be working on the basics, target practice and some elementary level jutsu."

Tayuya looked at him, slightly annoyed.

"Oh some on, back in the forest I came so close to beating your ass, why do we have to waste any time doing the easy stuff?"

Shikamaru blushed knowing all to well how close he came to being defeated, probably killed by Tayuya had there not been an intervention.

"Oh shut up." He said, "and besides, it's by order of The Hokage and what she says goes, got it?"

"Yeah fine." Tayuya said with a small grin on her face.

Shikamaru thought briefly about their first battle. She WAS an extremely powerful Shinobi. Hopefully now though he could harness her power for good.

"Ok hotshot here are some Kunai, show me what you can do. Aim at that target down there." Shikamaru pointed at a practice dummy some 30 yards away.

"Gimme those." She said and snatched several of the Kunai away from him.

She positioned herself in a stance where she could easily aim and throw and without hesitation she launched several blades at the dummy. The knives all hit the chest of the dummy with dead on accuracy.

"Wow" Shikamaru thought. "She's not bad, not bad at all."

Tayuya then threw the rest of the kunai and the split through the head of the dummy.

She giggled and said "Okay what's next?"

Shikamaru gave her more of the blades and for the next hour had her simply throw them a practice dummies that were farther and farther away.

She was consistent through all of it and hardly missed at all, although she'd occasionally swear when she did.

Shikamaru admired her from a distance, instructing and then watching from under a tree nearby. It was a sunny day and Shikamaru didn't want to sweat just standing around.

His thoughts drifted from her superior skill to her undeniable looks. Her body was curvy yet slim and he couldn't get enough of her, glancing at the kunoichi every chance he got.

Her hair was a bright red and it fell down to a perfect length, in his opinion. He liked everything about her appearance and knew that he was slowly falling for her.

"Damn" he thought "I wasn't even really mad when she slugged me, why does this have to happen to me?"

He had hoped that being in a relationship would not be something he would want to pursue until he was much older but things had taken a drastic turn and now he wanted to ask her out... if only the circumstances around the situation had not been so awkward.

"I mean she's technically a criminal, a really cute one, but now she's good so would it be OK?" Shikamaru pondered, his head now starting to hurt. "Girls. What am I doing? What a drag." He continued. All the while he had failed to notice that Tayuya had finished throwing her kunai and was now yelling at him for his next instruction.

Tayuya had been done for a couple minutes now. She had stopped and turned around to ask for Shikamaru's next set of directions.

"This is so boring" she thought, "I want to do something more fun."

As she turned towards Shikamaru she begin to think about him as he had done with her. Reflecting upon the mornings events, she laughed to herself as she remembered how she'd punched him.

More seriously, however, she then thought about when she had brought him into his room and tossed him carelessly onto his bed. He had been unconscious for a good amount of time, just laying there.

She suddenly wished that instead of just sitting next to him she had laid next to him and possibly fallen asleep with him at her side...

"Is that creepy?" She thought, taken back by her own desires. "He is really sweet and seems to be really lazy, except when he's around me. Could he be feeling the same way I feel about him?"

She knew now with little doubt that she liked him. He had been a symbol of refuge for her. He had picked her up at her lowest and was in the process of helping her back up, even putting his own reputation at stake. There was a definite connection between the two.

She longed to know Shikamaru better but her thoughts changed back to the tasks at hand. She had noticed him there staring blankly and finally called out to him.

"Hey pineapple-head, what are you staring at? And I'm done by the way so what do you want me to do next?"

Shikamaru had heard and snapped out of his mental trance.

"Ok now we're going to move onto jutsu, good job by the way." Shikamaru responded, beaming at her.

He stood up and headed over to her and when they were next to each other pointed her over to a smaller field that served as an arena for small practice battles.

For the next couple of hours the two were in combat, using more basic techniques. Every so often they would stop fighting and Shikamaru would explain something or correct her.

"I know what I'm doing, don't worry about me!" Tayuya would yell every so often.

Many battles later, after Shikamaru thought she had mastered The Leaf Shinobi basics, they were both worn out and tired. Both were sweating heavily and were breathing fast.

Shikamaru glanced up at Tayuya, even in the midst of battle she looked beautiful and he features were illuminated better than ever.

"You did good Tayuya, we'll resume in a bit." Shikamaru said.

"Oh thanks Sensei." She said emphasizing the last word and laughing.

"Haha." Shikamaru said grinning. "Say, would you like to get something to eat?"

"Sureee" Tayuya purred. All this work had made her extremely hungry. She noticed the look in Shikamaru's eyes when he asked however and wondered then, was this his way of asking her on a date?

Shikamaru was relieved that she had said yes. He had expected her to say no, that she would eat back at his apartment but his mood had been lifted at her response. He decided to take her to the barbecue buffet that his teacher, Asuma Sensei took him and his squad on a weekly basis to discuss training and debrief after missions.

They cleaned up the practice field quickly and when they had stored there equipment he lead the way to the restaurant.

It was a bright and sunny day in Kanoha and birds chirped as the two made their way to the small building in the middle of town. Tayuya was looking around at all the buildings and houses, trying to get aquatinted with her new home. She was happy to see that this village was peaceful. Unlike her own, people here traveled worry free and children ran amongst the crowds playing and laughing. She longed to have had an easier childhood. Growing up in the newly-made Sound Village had not been fun. There she had been alone, neglected and mistreated. She had to fend for herself at an early age. More than anything she wanted someone to look after her and she would return the favor gladly. Having a companion, she had noted, made life a lot easier and more enjoyable. Someone to laugh and cry with. Someone more than a friend.

When they got there the restaurant was mildly full, with people occasionally entering and exiting. The smell was wonderful and both the ninja's stomaches growled with an increasing hunger. The two were seated and ordered what they wanted quickly. Tayuya then took time to gaze around the restaurant. It was crammed with booths on one side and a long bar table on the other. People were chatting loudly and the atmosphere was very lively. As they were waiting they glanced around nervously at each other. They hadn't said a word to each other since Shikamaru had asked her if she wanted to go somewhere to eat.

While the silence continued the restaurant doors opened and another couple stepped in.

"Oh no." Shikamaru thought, "Naruto Uzumaki." and he was right.

Naruto Uzumaki accompanied by Sakura Haruno walked into the building. They were looking around for a seat when Naruto immediately spotted Shikamaru.

"HEY SHIKAMARU WHATS UP?!" Naruto yelled.

Sakura glanced over and noticed Shikamaru, but sitting next to a girl she didn't recognize.

Naruto pulled Sakura over and explained to a nearby waiter that the two of them were going to sit next to Shikamaru and the girl he was with.

"God help me." Shikamaru pleaded, "Don't let them come here." But he knew they were.

The two made their way over but Sakura looked annoyed at Naruto. As they sat down she quickly spoke up.

"Listen I really sorry. Knucklehead (she glared angrily at Naruto) over here pulled me over... I don't want to interrupt your date or anything. We can leave." she then turned to Tayuya. "I'm Sakura. Sakura Haruno by the way." and smiled.

"Tayuya." Tayuya said quietly in response.

As Sakura finished speaking she couldn't help but look at the two of them. She had thought Shikamaru was cute in the past but she was over that now. But this girl next to her was extremely attractive, Sakura thought.

"How did Shikamaru get a girl like that?" Sakura wondered. "Is she a model or something?"

Shikamaru blushed harder than he ever had in his life. He glanced over a Tayuya who hadn't said a word, but was just as red as he was.

"It's no... not a... a date..." Shikamaru mumbled, looking away. Tayuya was now looking at the floor.

Naruto laughed and said "Gee Shikamaru it's about time you got a girl, look at me, Sakura just can't get enough!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! THIS ISN'T A DATE YOU IDIOT! YOU OWE ME FOR ALL THE TIMES I'VE GOTTEN YOU FOOD!" she yelled. She looked murderous.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Naruto cried, closing his eyes. He was expecting to be smacked by Sakura but she didn't hit him... only because of the presence of company.

Tayuya finally spoke up.

"You can stay." she said. She thought this would help ease the ever-growing tension between Shikamaru and her but she immediately regretted the decision.

Sakura looked happy that she could stay, probably not wanting to have to deal with Naruto alone. She and Naruto ordered quickly and turned back to face the other two.

Tayuya now looked over Sakura but then looked at the blonde haired boy. Naruto, he was called. She felt like he would make things really awkward. He already had. But she couldn't tell them to leave now so she decided to just tolerate and get this over with. She now turned to Shikamaru and made conversation.

"We were just training over at a practice field by Shikamaru's apartment." she said, still looking at him. She didn't want to have to look at the two people who she assumed were friends of his across from her.

"That's cool, but you're not from here are you? Where are you visiting from? and how do you know Shikamaru?" Sakura asked curiously.

Tayuya froze. How would she answer that? She knew The Sound Village was considered a Leaf Village enemy. How would they react?

Shikamaru answered for her. She's a good friend of mine, visiting from The Land of Rivers. I've known her for a couple years now. We met on a mission I did a couple years back.

Naruto looked impatient as if he had a question of his own to ask but Sakura replied "Oh what mission was this?"

Shikmaru hesitated. "Reconnassience, just some basic stuff, really."

"Oh?" Sakura questioned. "Then how did you meet Tayuya?"

"Dammit stop with the questioning." Shikamaru thought as he raced to come up with an answer that would seem legit.

"She was the daughter of the client. We were around the same age and became friends."

Tayuya was impressed by his speed for coming up with the lies but was now relieved that her real identity has been concealed. "Thanks Shikamaru." she thought.

Shikamaru hoped this would be enough to please Sakura and lucky for him it was. But then Naruto looked up and blurted out "HOW LONG HAVE YOU AND TAYUYA BEEN DATING?!"

Shikamaru thought he couldn't turn a darker shade of red from earlier but that was surpassed quickly and he looked redder than a tomato.

Tayuya also felt herself turning red yet again but didn't feel as bad. She felt happy that people thought the two of them were together, partially because she saw him as her only friend throughout this whole ordeal. After training with him she felt closer to him and hoped he felt the same way. She had been trying desperately to be nicer around him but she still had a strongly developed temper.

"We're not dating." Shikamaru growled, getting annoying at Naruto's seemingly endless knack of saying before thinking."

"Oh sorry for assuming, but I thought you two were dating as well." Sakura said.

Shikamaru turned towards Tayuya now and thought he saw her give him a small grin. His feelings for her had grown tenfold since they had first met and he desperately wanted her to know how e felt. Taking her here has been his first move and he hoped she would understand soon.

Everyone's thoughts were disrupted, however, as a waiter came over with a large tray with four large plates of food on it and drinks.

Looking on, Naruto yelled "LET'S EAT!"


End file.
